Фото: podlaski.strazgraniczna.pl
The Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration has prepared a draft regulation providing for the reopening of two border crossings with Belarus. The document appeared in the database of the Government Legislation Center.
According to the draft, traffic is expected to resume on November 17 through the border crossings of Kuznica (on the Belarusian side, Bruzgi) and Bobrowniki (Berastavitsa). The proposal stipulates that traffic through the Kuznica crossing will be open to passenger vehicles, except for buses, while the Bobrowniki crossing will be open to both passenger and freight transport. Freight traffic through Bobrowniki will only be permitted for vehicles registered in the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland.
“The planned measures are aimed at resuming the movement of people and goods, which meets public expectations, particularly those of a large group of entrepreneurs, transport operators, and people commuting from Belarus to Poland,” the explanatory note to the draft states.
At the same time, it notes that migration pressure on the Belarusian border remains high.
“This migration pressure was artificially created by the authorities of Belarus as part of hybrid actions aimed at destabilizing the Republic of Poland and other member states of the European Union. The goal of instrumentalizing migration is to exert pressure on European countries, test the EU and NATO external border protection system, and stir up anti-immigrant and anti-refugee sentiments, thereby provoking serious political disputes over migration policy within member states,” the document says.
The Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration lists measures taken to strengthen border security and concludes that the effectiveness of border protection remains high.
It should be recalled that the reopening of the two crossings was announced by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the end of October. He promised to reopen them in November. Later, Polish officials said that the reopening had been postponed as a gesture of solidarity with Lithuania, which closed its border earlier this month in response to a wave of balloon incursions carrying smuggled cigarettes from Belarus. A Polish government spokesperson then said the crossings were expected to reopen “around mid-November.”